Ignition device.



W. B,. MOSES.

IGNIILON'DEVICE.

APPLICATION HLED MAR. 10,1916.

Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

2 SHEETSSHEET I.

W. B. MOSES.

IGNITION DEVICE.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 10, I916.

1,262,544. Patented Apr. 9, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- m v- El IIIMIIIIW 1% QII'H'" Imm Ir "Mlllllllg UNITED STATES PATENT orrioa.

WILLIAM B. MOSES, 0F B ROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSTGNOB TO GRAY & DAVIS INCL,

' OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS.

IGNITION nnvron.

Application filed March 10, 1916.

device of the above mentioned character suitable for use in connection with multicylinder internal combustion engines.

It is another object of the invention to provide a reliable and efficient timer-dis- 'tributer in which it is possible to obtain wide variation in spark timing, in which the parts may be quickly and conveniently assembled or disassembled and which will avoidconfusion in attaching the leads from the spark plugs.

Otherobjects will be in part obvious and in part pointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the various features of construction, combinations of elements andarrangements of parts which will be exemplified by the construction hereinafter set forth and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in the following claims.

In the'accompanying drawings wherein is shown the one of various possible embodiments of the invention,

Figure 1 is a view in elevation of an apparatus embodying the present invention,-

parts being broken away to more clearly disclose the interior construction.

1 Fig. 2 is a view in transverse section taken substantially on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a view in top plan.

Fig. 4 is a verticalsection taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is a view in transverse section taken substantially along the line 55 of Fig.4. I

Fig. 6 is aside view of guiding means for holding certain of the movable parts against displacement.

Referring now more particularly to the drawings in which similar reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views, there is indicated at 1 a tu- Specification of Letters Patent.

some such insulating material.

latented Apr. 9, 1918.

Serial No. 83,257.

bular member having a shank 2 which serves as a shaft bearing and a cup or body portion 3 -which serves as a casing for an interrupter mechanism to be presently described. The upper portion of .thebody 8 is flared or-fianged at 4: to accommodate a distributer head indicated generally at 6.

NVithin the cup 3 there is mounted for angular adjustment a plate 7 which in turn.

has fixed thereon as by means of rivets 8, a pair of smaller plates 9 and 10. These smaller plates are separated from each other and insulated from the plate 7. A metal post 11 extends upwardly from the plate 9 and is in electrical communication therewith. This post serves as a pivot for a movable member or rocker 12 which in turn carries a contact point 13.' The plate 10 is provided ,with a post 14 which supports a fixed contact 15. I Primary circuit terminals are provided in the cup 3 as indicated at 16 and 17 and are kept respectively in constant electrical communication with the fixed and movable contacts mentioned by means of spring metal brushes 18 and 19 which bear respectively upon plates 9 and 10. A shaft 20 is journaled in the shank 2 and is provided oh its upper end with a contact actuating member in the shape of a cam 21 whereby the movable contact referred to is successively actuated to inter rupt the primary circuit. The mechanism so far described is suitable for the requirements of 4: or 6 cylinder engines. To meet the demands of engines having a greater number of cylinders another movable contact member is mounted upon the post 11 and another fixed contact is provided on the post 14. A' cam 22 is then fixed upon the shaft 20 in staggered relation to the cam 21 producing a general organization which compensates for electrical and mechanical lag and increases the life of the instrument. For details of this construction reference should be had to my co-pending application, Serial No. 72,496.

The distributer head comprises a terminal plate or cover 23 preferably of bakelite or I A cominon high tension terminal is provided centr ally of this plate 23 as indicated at 24: and concentrically of this terminal are arranged the terminals for the leads to the different spark plugs of the engine. It will be noted that difl'erent annular paths, terminals 25 being in the inner path with respect to the termicentrally of the V. As the ordinary timing of such engines calls for sparks alternately in cylinders on opposite sides of the engine, the present invention is adapted to group the terminals so that the leads from the plugs on one side of the engine will come to one group ofterminals and the leads from the plugs on the opposite side of the engine will come to another group of terminals. The means used for obtaining this grouping will now be described':

Mounted upon the flange portion 1 of the tubular member 1 and within the cover plate 23 is a contact supporting member or frame 27. This member or frame is engaged by extensions of the posts 11 and Hand is accordingly angularly movable. conjointly with the plate or disk 7 and its appurte nances. The upper portion of frame 27 is in the form of, aplate or disk 28 'and has fixed therein a pluralit of contact pins 29, each of which is emb ded in an elongated plate or strip 30 of brass or other suitable conducting medium. These plates and their pins are arranged in two different annular paths similarly to the terminals von the cover plate and each terminal is provided with a spring, pressed brush 31 adapted to bear on some portion of the strip 30 and thereby maintain each pin 29 in electrical communication with the corresponding terminals 25 or-26. In this way an angular movement of the contact pins relatively to the terminals is permitted.

A'contact carrying'arm 32 of insulation is fixed upon the upper end of the shaft 20 to rotate with the cam member 21. A. strip of contacting material 33 passes diametrically through said arm and provides contact points at either end one of which points cooperates with the contact pins of the inner annular row and the otherof which cooperates with the contacts of the outer row. Extending upwardly from strip 33 is a flexible conductor strip 34- upon which bears a brush .35. spring pressed from the terminal 21.

The under side of the body ortion 3 of the'tubular member 1 is provided with an arcuate slot 36 through which there extends upwardly .a pair of posts37 and 38, These posts engage the disk or plate 7 and one of them is provided with an extension which penetrates the frame 27. The arm 39 receives the lower end of these posts and is secured thereto in any suitable way, as by means of nuts 40. The mechanism just described provides means whereby the operator may vary the positions of the various contact mechanism relatively to shaft 20 and to the terminal plate 23 and to the tubular member 1. It is to be noted that the termitively to the actuating means therefor in.

order to vary the time of the opening of the primary circuit with the ultimate? result of advancing or retarding the time of sparking in the engine cylinders. In order to compensate for this movement of parts in respect to theshaft which carried the actuating means, it has been necessary to elongate one of the contacting elements of the distributing device. Otherwise at the time the primary circuit would open the rotatable contact point might have passed entirely beyond the contact point of the distributer head. The disadvantages of this elongated contact construction have been obvious, and among them is the necessity for maintaining a large distributer head to accommodate the parts. The present invention obviates the necessity of elongating the contacts as the terminal contacts are movable conjointly with the interrupter device.

In the operation of the distributer a secondary circuit is first com leted through an outer contact on one si e of the head and next through an' inner contact on the opposite side and so on alternately for the entire rotation. of the contact carrying arm. It is .obvious, therefore, that the secondary circuit is completed alternately through terminals on opposite sides of the plate 23-, thus permitting grouping of the terminals as heretofore explained. It is, of course, to be understood that the contact pins 29 of one row are longer than the contact pins of the other and that the oppositely disposed contactpins of the strip 33 lie in different horizontal lanes to 006perate with the contacts of di erent rows.

The contact pins, oints, et cetera, referred to in descri ing the distributer mechanism are of the type known as jump contacts. The invention, however, contemplates as well the use of wipe contacts or any other form.

As many changes might be made in the above construction and many apparently widely different embodiments of the invention could be made without departing from the scope thereof, it is intended that all matter contained in the foregoing. description or shown in the accompanyin drawings shall be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting-sense.

Having described the invention What I desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In an ignition device, in combination, a distributer head comprising a common centrally arranged high tension terminal, an inner annular row of terminals concentric with the firstsaid terminal and an outer annular row of terminals circumscribing said inner row, and means adapted to complete electrical circuits alternately through terminals of different rows comprising a distributer shaft, a contact member carried thereby and extending diametrically to cooperate alternately with terminals on opposite sides of said head and a contact electrically connecting said contact member with said common high tension terminal.

2. In an ignition device, in combination, a distributer head comprising a common centrally arranged high tension terminahan inner annular row of terminals circumscribing/the first said terminal and an outer annular row of terminals circumscribing said inner row, contacts in electrical communica tion with said terminals, and means adapted to complete electrical circuits alternately through terminals on opposite sides of said head. i

3. In apparatus of the'character described, in combination, a distributer head of insulating material, a terminal-disposed centrally thereof, a plurality of terminals ar- Yranged in two" annular paths concentrically 'of said first terminal, contacts extending from said terminals, and a rotatable member carrying substantially diametrically opposed contact points adapted alternately to 006 erate with contacts of the different pat s, said rotatablemember having a third contact .point cooperating with the contact extending from the.first said terminal.

4. In apparatus'of the character described, in combination/an interrupter device for a primary; circuit a distributing device comprising a, rotatable contact'member, contacts mounted for cooperation with said member, terminals engaging said-contacts, and means adapted to vary thev relative positions of vparts ofsaid interrupter-device and in direct proportion to vary the relative angular positions of the rotatable member and contacts 1 i a 5. In apparatus ofthe character described, in combination, a casing having mounted therein a vertical timer cam shaft and interrupter contacts, a distributer head'mount'ed having terminals, a rotatable contact carrying arm and an intermediate member supporting contacts in engagement with said terminals, said intermediateinember being associated with said interrupter contacts for angular movement therewith whereby the positions of the contacts of the intermediate member and said interrupter contacts are varied relatively to said shaft.

7. In apparatus of the character described, in combination, a casing having mounted therein a timer shaft cam and interrupter contact means, and a distributer device associated with said casing comprising a cover having terminals, a rotatable contact carrying arm and an intermediate member being associated with said interrupter contact means for angular movement therewith whereby the positions of said contacts and said means are varied relatively to said shaft and said terminals, while still maintaining electrical communication between said contacts and said terminals.

8. In a timer-distributer, in combination, a shaft bearing having a cup shaped body, a shaft mounted therein, a plate arranged for angular movement in said body, fixed and movable contacts mounted on said plate,primary circuit terminals in said body having brush and plate connections with said fixed and movable contacts respectively, devices on said shaft for actuating said movable contacts, distributer head comprising a terminal plate-or cover of insulation fixed relatively etosaid shaft bearing and having a .plurality of binding posts and a second member of insulating material mounted for movement with the first said plate and carrying a plurality of contacts in electrical communication by brush and plate with said terminals, and means whereby both of said contact carrying elements may be moved through an angular range relatively to the said shaft and the said shaft bearing and terminal plate.

ruptingdevice, and means whereby the said contacts may be moved relatively to said movable contact, a shaft having an actuator for said-movable contact and carrying said rotatable contact carrying member, and means whereby the terminal contacts may be moved conjointly with the contacts of said interrupting device and relatively to the said terminals'.

Signed at Cambridge in the county of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts this fourth day of March A. D. 1916.

WILLIAM B. MOSES. 

